A valley still recovering

Eighteen months after bushfire swept through Wandarra Valley, the terrain is only starting to recover - and a sarcoptic mange outbreak has emerged in three of our five monitored burrow clusters. Mange is a highly contagious mite infestation, often fatal if untreated, and it spreads fastest through exactly the kind of stressed, fire-damaged habitat we're watching.

Burrow Watch exists to catch it early. Volunteer rangers patrol five zones across the valley, logging burrow condition and reporting anything that looks like early-stage mange to our contract vet - often the difference between a wombat that recovers and one that doesn't.